The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 43

Jiang Yubai fell silent for a moment, looking at Lin Zhiyu with a complex gaze. His eyes seemed to hold too many conflicting emotions, and under the dim light of the car interior, he became even more difficult to read.

However, Jiang Yubai’s eyes were naturally beautiful; even when he looked at someone like this, it did not feel oppressive or uncomfortable. Lin Zhiyu waited in confusion for quite a while. Seeing him open his mouth several times only to close it again, Lin Zhiyu finally nudged him. “If you have something to say, just say it. Do not look at me like that; it is a bit weird.”

In truth, Jiang Yubai did not know what he wanted to say. Earlier that evening, while smoking on the suspended terrace, he had looked through the hazy, drifting smoke and thought back to the first time he saw Lin Zhiyu at the Lin family villa. Back then, Lin Zhiyu was high and mighty, looking down on him with utter disdain. He had pushed Jiang Yubai down the stairs without a hint of hesitation, and even when the parents arrived, he had not shown a trace of panic, appearing like a natural born villain.

But quickly, Jiang Yubai also remembered the young man who had suddenly burst into his secret space during a break in the script reading. A head had peeked cautiously from behind the heavy fire door, with eyes that were far too clear and a fair face as radiant as the sun.

He thought of the clever, fox-like creature who had playfully teased Mu Yunji at the mountain ranch, and the frank, warm hug they shared when filming wrapped.

Jiang Yubai’s adoptive parents had both died in a car accident when he was in junior high school. From then on, he lived with his elderly grandmother. The compensation from the accident was barely enough to survive, so he worked illegal odd jobs after school to save money. To keep his grandmother from worrying, he told her he was attending evening self-study sessions at school.

He persisted like this until the college entrance exams. His scores were high enough to get into a good university, but it was at that exact moment his grandmother was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure. The massive medical bills were suffocating. After receiving the notification, his grandmother decided to give up treatment, but Jiang Yubai insisted on keeping her in the hospital. Despite her strong protests, he gave up his chance to attend university.

His bad habit of smoking started during that period; it was one of the few ways he could relieve stress. By the time he realized he could not quit, it was too late.

He later drifted through various places and changed many jobs. As long as the pay was high, he was willing to do the work no matter how hard it was. Fortunately, a video of him went viral, and he was finally favored by fortune.

He followed every resource assigned by his manager and took every lesson in singing, dancing, and acting. He was like the top student one often sees in school; even though he started with no foundation, he gave his all to master every skill in the shortest time possible, carefully and perfectly maintaining the public persona the company had framed for him.

He should have been satisfied. He had so much more than others now. He had even found his biological parents and no longer had to worry about his grandmother’s medical bills. His life was secure.

But he felt empty inside.

That was until he met Lin Zhiyu again.

He used to be jealous of the young master of the Lin family who grew up spoiled and could act willfully. Now, he envied his vibrant freedom. He even found Lin Zhiyu’s occasionally drooping, weary gaze interesting.

On the day the Xie Yunce wrap-up special was released, he actually wanted to be like Shen Chengyi and the others, shamelessly saying in the comments: I was not paid either. I did it of my own accord, and I am not being silenced.

However, the trending topic involving him and Lin Zhiyu had already made his manager, Sister Li, extremely busy. He could not trouble others with his self-indulgence any further.

Seeing that he had not spoken for a long time, Lin Zhiyu tilted his head curiously. He decided to open the door and get out of the car to escape this strange atmosphere.

Seeing him leave, Jiang Yubai hurriedly blurted out, “Are you really doing well?”

That was not actually the question he wanted to ask. What he really wanted to ask was: Are you really doing well with Mu Sui? Even though he did not dare think about the deeper meaning behind those words.

Lin Zhiyu’s hand retracted from the car door. He curled his lips into a casual, teasing smile. “Did I not just report that to your mother? I am doing great. I eat well, I sleep well, and someone cares about me. I am incredibly happy.”

Again, this was not what Jiang Yubai wanted to hear.

“I…” He stammered, unable to clear the swirling thoughts in his mind. Ever since Lin Zhiyu finished filming, he had been constantly irritable. He had managed to calm down a little today, but the undercurrents were surging once again.

However, before he could figure out what he wanted to ask, someone tapped twice on Lin Zhiyu’s car window.

Jiang Yubai looked up at the sound. As Lin Zhiyu lowered the window, Mu Sui’s cold face gradually appeared.

Seemingly not expecting to be caught here, a flash of astonishment crossed Lin Zhiyu’s face. He asked in surprise, “President Mu, why are you here?”

After asking, Lin Zhiyu felt his own question was a bit ridiculous.

Mu Sui glanced indifferently at Jiang Yubai before his gaze lingered on Lin Zhiyu for a few seconds. When he saw the coat draped over Lin Zhiyu’s shoulders, his lips thinned with displeasure.

“I should be asking you that,” Mu Sui said coolly, turning his head toward the bushes across the road. “Is this a new business requirement from your company to be on the trending topics tomorrow?”

The moment he finished speaking, Jiang Yubai realized something and instantly followed Mu Sui’s line of sight. He saw a black Volkswagen parked behind the cover of the bushes. Zhou Ming was politely knocking on the car window, pulling a business card from his pocket to hand to the paparazzi hiding inside.

“We were photographed,” Jiang Yubai explained to Lin Zhiyu.

Those paparazzi had likely been following them for a while, perhaps since they left the restaurant or even earlier.

Lin Zhiyu thought that since he and Jiang Yubai had stayed in the restaurant for so long, the professional storytellers among the paparazzi would probably cook up a long tale of love and hate. It would certainly be more scandalous than the last time he caught a ride home in Jiang Yubai’s car.

Unfortunately, he had just promised Xu Dongdong this morning that he would not provoke Jiang Yubai again. He did not expect the reality check to arrive so quickly.

Jiang Yubai reached for his phone, intending to call Sister Li to explain the situation, but he paused mid-action as if he had thought of something.

“Do not worry. Zhou Ming will contact your manager after he settles this,” Mu Sui said, his finger tapping against the car window.

The scent of red wine on Mu Sui’s fingertips mingled with his woody cologne and drifted into Lin Zhiyu’s nose. For some reason, Lin Zhiyu felt a dazed memory of when Mu Sui had teased him on set with a light touch. His heart rate suddenly accelerated.

“Are you not coming down?” Mu Sui looked at him expectantly. “Or have you already thought of a headline for tomorrow’s trending list?”

Lin Zhiyu’s expression stiffened. He looked at Jiang Yubai before quickly adjusting his mood and letting out a relaxed laugh.

“I wouldn’t dare.” Lin Zhiyu took off the coat, smoothed it out gently, folded it neatly, and placed it back on the seat. “Nothing good ever comes from trending. I have a fragile heart and cannot handle the criticism.”

He saw Mu Sui’s wheelchair move aside a bit, so he opened the door and stepped out. Before closing it, he leaned against the window and said to Jiang Yubai with a bright smile, “Thank you for driving me back. I enjoyed dinner tonight.”

Jiang Yubai stared at him, but the words he wanted to say remained stuck in his throat.

“Mom just said I should visit home once Dad’s anger cools down,” Lin Zhiyu said, deciding to play the part of a good son. “If you do not mind me taking advantage of the situation, you can think of me as a half-brother from now on.”

With that, he waved to Jiang Yubai and said, “Drive safely.”

The car door shut with a soft click. Jiang Yubai watched Lin Zhiyu’s retreating back, a faint sense of loss and emptiness rising in his heart. He did not know why. Perhaps it was because in that final moment, Lin Zhiyu’s gaze was polite yet distant, or perhaps because those vague questions in his mind still had no answers.

He sighed. Seeing that the paparazzi had left, he pulled out a cigarette. The spark of the lighter flickered in the car. As the smoke slowly filled the space, he looked up through the choking mist at the pitch-black night sky.

“What exactly am I struggling with?” he whispered, still finding no answer.

“The photos have been bought from the paparazzi, and we have confirmed there are no backups,” Zhou Ming reported formally in the living room. “They likely followed Jiang Yubai’s car. They have photos from when Mr. Lin got into the car, at the restaurant, silhouettes outside the private room, and photos of Mr. Lin with Madam Xu getting into the car.”

Zhou Ming hesitated for a moment, tentatively checking Mu Sui’s expression. Confirming there was no major reaction, he continued, “The most expensive one was this photo of Jiang Yubai handing a coat to Mr. Lin, and several of the two of them talking in the car.”

Lin Zhiyu’s eyelids jumped, and he hurriedly craned his neck to look.

In the photos uploaded to the tablet, he and Jiang Yubai were sitting very close. Whether it was a reflection of the car lights or not, Jiang Yubai’s eyes from this angle looked like shimmering clear springs, full of deep affection. If you cropped Lin Zhiyu out, it looked like the prelude to a confession.

“They said they were planning to write about a secret romance and meeting the parents in private,” Zhou Ming said. Observing Mu Sui’s face darken, he wisely shut his mouth.

“Ah,” Lin Zhiyu said, completely unaware of the tension. “It seems they are not very professional then. Setting aside whether it would trend or not, who would believe such nonsense?”

Mu Sui glared at him with an expressionless face.

Lin Zhiyu found it strange. He knelt on the sofa and moved closer to Zhou Ming, swiping through the photos on the tablet. He had to admit the paparazzi’s photography skills were excellent. Whether it was the photos outside the restaurant or the ones of him talking to Jiang Yubai in the car, they all had a strong sense of narrative. If the subjects were not the two of them, it really would look like something was going on.

Mu Sui watched the face that had unconsciously moved close to him and the waist resting near the armrest of the wheelchair. He pressed his lips together and remained silent. His fingers resting on the armrest of the wheelchair rubbed against the rough plastic texture before brushing against his own fingertips, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

“How much did these photos cost?” Lin Zhiyu asked.

Zhou Ming said, “Three hundred thousand.”

Lin Zhiyu: “?”

Zhou Ming took a breath. “For one, and that was the cheapest. The two I mentioned just now were eight hundred thousand.”

Lin Zhiyu’s pupils shook. “Can I sue them for extortion!?”

Mu Sui only gave him thirty thousand a month! His entire annual salary would be gone in a single night!

Mu Sui looked up at the stunned face in front of him. His gaze swept over the curled ends of Lin Zhiyu’s hair resting on his neck, and he could not resist reaching out to hook a strand. His cool fingertips passed through the ends of Lin Zhiyu’s hair, and his palm lightly covered the back of Lin Zhiyu’s head, pressing down slightly.

Lin Zhiyu snapped back to reality, his cheek nearly colliding with Mu Sui’s nose.

“What are you afraid of? I am not making you pay for it.”