The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 4

Mu Yunji’s voice was very distinctive. It was bright and clear, mostly hovering in a youthful register, yet it possessed a slight rasp that made it exceptionally suited for rock music.

The moment Lin Zhiyu heard it, he knew exactly who had stopped him. He let out a helpless sigh and turned around to look at Mu Yunji with a flat expression.

“What is it?”

Mu Yunji was momentarily stunned.

He had been trying to catch up on sleep on the way to the office, but halfway through his nap, he was jolted awake by a barrage of messages on his phone. When he opened them, his friend had sent screenshots showing three separate trending topics related to Lin Zhiyu. Most importantly, his own name was attached to them.

• #LinZhiyuSaysThreeBottlesCuresLovesickness#
• #LinZhiyuAbsolutelyWillNoLongerHarassMuYunji#
• #LinZhiyuMuYunjiLoveAtFirstSight#

Mu Yunji’s sleepiness was instantly driven away by this series of trending searches. He did not even have time to click into the topics to look closely. His mind was filled with one thought: What on earth is Lin Zhiyu doing now? Furthermore, he wondered if that bastard Mu Sui would see this and come looking for trouble again.

When he heard from his assistant that Lin Zhiyu’s live stream had just ended and he was likely still at the company, Mu Yunji’s assistant tried to stop him from going upstairs. Instead, Mu Yunji charged up from the underground garage like a bolt of lightning, determined to demand an explanation.

But the person standing before him was actually Lin Zhiyu?

Mu Yunji had never seen him wear such plain clothes or such a bare face. He wore a white shirt and jeans. His clean black hair, slightly curled wolf-cut, and lazy expression added a touch of youthful charm.

Mu Yunji walked up to him suspiciously. When they met last night, Lin Zhiyu still had that annoying appearance. How could he look like a different person after only a dozen hours?

However, he still voiced the grievances he had prepared in the elevator. “You forgot what you said last night again, did you? What do you call this? Retreating to advance? Playing hard to get? Do you know that my WeChat is currently flooded with people asking if I really have a relationship with you?”

Lin Zhiyu gave a short laugh.

The wedding banquet last night did not have many guests, so most people in the outside world did not know the name of Mu Sui’s spouse. It was normal for Mu Yunji’s uninformed friends to ask such questions.

Naturally, Mu Yunji could not go around explaining to everyone that Lin Zhiyu was now his sister-in-law, that they had no relationship, and that Lin Zhiyu’s legal husband was his own half-brother who had disliked him since childhood.

Firstly, such a messy relationship would easily become gossip for idle people, and he did not want to endure strange looks all day as if he were a fox spirit seducing his brother’s wife. Secondly, Mu Sui was unwilling to make this disgraceful relationship public. If Mu Yunji rushed to advertise it, he would essentially be asking for death.

Therefore, after much thought, his anger could only be directed at the perpetrator.

Seeing no response, Mu Yunji gritted his teeth and added, “Is your ‘no longer harassing’ just a way to use me for traffic during a live stream? Are you secretly happy looking at the list of trending topics connecting us?”

Lin Zhiyu remained silent for a few seconds before saying, “I did not know about the trending topics. However, when I harassed you before, you were unwilling. Now that I promise not to harass you, why are you still unwilling?” He paused and sighed. “You are a very strange person. I do not know what you want. Should I issue another statement saying, ‘Please do not mention my name and Mu Yunji’s name at the same time to avoid causing trouble for both parties’?”

His tone was very sincere, without any pretense or sarcasm. Mu Yunji was momentarily unable to refute him, yet he felt a lump of frustration stuck in his chest.

“You!”

“And little Mu,” Lin Zhiyu glanced at the assistant standing not far behind Mu Yunji and the crowd of onlookers watching from a distance. He suddenly lowered his voice to a tone only the two of them could hear. “I am your sister-in-law, after all. I will forgive you this time. You should speak to me more politely in the future, especially at home.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Yunji glared at Lin Zhiyu, grinding his back teeth. What on earth is “little Mu”?! He’s putting on an act and looking down on me!

Lin Zhiyu seemed oblivious to his displeasure and continued slowly, “Also, just as you said yesterday, I have no interest in fooling around with my brother-in-law. I am now single-minded toward your brother and only want to live a good life with him. You must not overthink things. If your brother misunderstands something, it will be very hard for me to coax him.”

After speaking, he patted Mu Yunji’s shoulder and turned away lightheartedly while the crowd watched in confusion.

Mu Yunji stared at his back, a faint scent of hair dye still lingering in the air. Aside from that, the overwhelming, sickly-sweet perfume of the past seemed to have vanished along with that eccentric pink hair.

“Brother Mu, what did he say to you? Do not be angry. Should we talk to Lin Zhiyu’s manager and tell them not to use these low-level gimmicks next time?” his assistant asked.

Others joined in with whispers. “Yes, it is not worth getting upset over him. He is just waiting to see you lose your composure. Do not fall for his trap!”

In all honesty, if it were not for the ten-year “indentured servitude” contract the original owner had signed with this villainous company, Lin Zhiyu would have announced his retirement and enjoyed a peaceful life long ago. What did the love and hatred between Mu Yunji and Jiang Yubai have to do with him?

Lin Zhiyu entered the lounge wearily, collapsed onto the sofa like a salted fish, and opened Weibo. The trending topics Mu Yunji mentioned were still firmly at the top of the list. Lin Zhiyu did not bother to open them. He knew the comments would be filled with insults, and he had no desire to torment himself.

He clicked through the original owner’s Weibo homepage. Aside from a few decent promotional photos, he hid most of the other posts.

After finishing this, he suddenly wondered if he needed to explain things to his new boss. After all, Mu Sui had warned him yesterday not to speak of his “sincerity” toward Mu Yunji anywhere.

Although their relationship was a simple transaction, no man would want his nominal partner to constantly appear in gossip news with the same person. However, he searched through his phone contacts and WeChat friends and could not find anyone who looked like Mu Sui.

Lin Zhiyu was so tired that he tossed his phone aside and lay flat like a pancake. He had nowhere to show his loyalty and could only hope that the overbearing president was too busy with work to look at such nonsense. Even if he did see it, he hoped he wouldn’t be petty enough to deduct his salary.

Not long after Lin Zhiyu finished his prayer, a friend request popped up on WeChat.

[Hello, Mr. Lin. I am Mu Sui’s assistant, Zhou Ming.]

Lin Zhiyu sat up abruptly. He wondered if Mu Sui had seen the trending topics and sent someone to hold him accountable. Although he did not think the trending topics were a big deal, the original novel emphasized that Mu Sui’s personality was unpredictable. It was possible he had accidentally triggered the man’s temper.

After hesitating for a while, he accepted the request. Zhou Ming messaged: [Mr. Lin, the 300,000 for this month has been transferred to your card ending in 0852. Please check.]

Lin Zhiyu: “?” Lin Zhiyu: “!!!”

Who on earth spread rumors that Mu Sui was gloomy and unpredictable? An employer who pays on time and isn’t swayed by outside gossip is the definition of emotionally stable!

[Zhiyu: Thank you, Assistant Zhou. Thank you, Mr. Mu. (Rose) (Rose) (Rose)] [Zhiyu: (Cat Heart)] [Assistant Zhou replied (Cat Heart): I will convey your regards to President Mu.]

Lin Zhiyu did not care about Zhou Ming’s reply. He contentedly admired his bank balance, which was finally no longer in the triple digits.

Xu Dongdong also soon transferred the commission from this afternoon’s live stream to his card, but the amount was slightly different from what Lin Zhiyu had expected. Although he was not familiar with the live-streaming industry, he knew that an artist’s commission was usually between 10% and 40% of sales. Even if Lin Zhiyu’s reputation was bad and he could only get the lowest tier, it should not be this little.

Lin Zhiyu thought for a moment, took a screenshot of the transaction, and sent it to Xu Dongdong.

[Zhiyu: Thanks, Brother Dong. I received it. (Image)]

Xu Dongdong replied a moment later, clearly seeing no issue with the amount in the image.

While thinking about how to naturally ask to see the live-stream contract without raising suspicion, Lin Zhiyu left the company and searched his memory for the hospital where the original owner’s grandmother was staying.

After Jiang Yubai’s adoptive parents passed away, he was raised by Grandma Jiang. Unfortunately, she was elderly and was diagnosed with chronic renal failure when he was in high school. Consequently, Jiang Yubai worked various labor-intensive jobs after graduation, such as construction work, delivery, and couriering. It was not until he was twenty, when a video of him in a coffee shop was posted online by female college students, that he became an overnight sensation.

After signing with Star Entertainment, he filmed web dramas for over a year, but the response was mediocre. However, filming dramas paid much more than his previous jobs, and his value soared after participating in the talent show.

But in the end, because of a single selfish decision by the original owner, Jiang Yubai never got to see his grandmother one last time. The original owner was unwilling to recognize his poor relatives. In his mind, he was always the young master of the Lin family, even though his parents had disowned him. He preferred to be alone rather than acknowledge a sick relative.

Jiang Yubai also chose not to tell Grandma Jiang the truth for fear of upsetting her.

For Lin Zhiyu, however, the person lying in the hospital was the only remaining blood connection to this body in this strange world. Since he occupied this body and wanted to live, he inevitably inherited the original owner’s social relationships.

Furthermore, he had been raised by his grandmother since childhood and instinctively felt affection for elderly female elders. His conscience would not allow him to make the same choice as the original owner, so he could not help but want to visit.

However, he did not expect that he and Jiang Yubai would be so perfectly in sync.