LOI Chapter 31 — Truly Famous

Jumping X, mouth X, X plug, lock X ring… Yan Zhi examined the assortment of intimate toys in the delivery box, then glanced at the message Rong Ke had sent him.

[Rong Ke: I bought you some gifts]

Interesting, Yan Zhi thought.

Although he won the rock-paper-scissors game—with Rong Ke’s indulgence—Yan Zhi deliberately avoided the most crucial question: who would top and who would bottom between them.

He recalled New Year’s Eve when Rong Ke jokingly said it would be a shame if he didn’t top, and how accommodating Rong Ke was in their daily interactions. So Yan Zhi didn’t consider this an issue.

Even if he wanted to be on top in bed, Rong Ke would likely not object.

Not to mention, he previously broached the topic of switching roles, and Rong Ke did not react much then.

However, the situation became a bit tricky now.

Whether it was because he played his part too convincingly or Rong Ke trusted him too much, the notion of him being a bottom seemed deeply ingrained in Rong Ke’s mind. So much so that Rong Ke did not even consider the possibility of Yan Zhi topping.

——Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bought these toys for him.

If he actually ended up topping Rong Ke, it might be difficult to explain…

Of course, that was assuming Rong Ke was willing to sleep with him in the first place.

At least from Rong Ke’s current behavior, he did not take Yan Zhi’s suggestion to “give it a try” seriously, which was why he had let him win so easily in rock-paper-scissors.

Now, sending him these gifts was clearly suggesting Yan Zhi should satisfy himself, wasn’t it?

Yan Zhi replied to Rong Ke with “I really like it” and added a “:)”.

He admitted the smile carried a hint of mockery, mocking how someone could be so clueless, not realizing who these toys would actually be used on.

However, he was well aware that this matter required caution. One misstep could expose everything.

[Yan Zhi: I’ll use them tonight] — He had to keep up the act.

[Yan Zhi: If they’re good, we can use them together when you’re back] — First, lure him to bed.

Rong Ke’s response came quickly.

[Rong Ke: Okay]

…He agreed just like that?

Yan Zhi stroked his chin, lost in thought. Should he drive over now and take him?

But reason told him it wasn’t the right move. It would scare him away.

Rong Ke once said that relationships are maintained by inertia. After thinking deeply, Yan Zhi came to the conclusion: it would be best to simmer slowly, letting Rong Ke develop a habit of being with him before finally sealing the deal.

–

This morning, Yan Zhi’s office had two unexpected visitors: Jiang Si and Zhuang Kang.

Jiang Si sat silently to the side, wearing a mask and sunglasses, seeming like a mere observer. But seeing Yan Zhi’s unyielding attitude, he couldn’t help removing his mask and interrupting Zhuang Kang, “What’s the use of telling him all this? He’s clearly out to get me.”

Jiang Si was scheduled to appear on the cover of the May anniversary issue, but Yan Zhi did not promise he would be the only one featured.

Both Zou Wei and Zhuang Kang had anticipated this, given the prestige of the anniversary issue. There had been group covers before, so as long as Jiang Si was included, it could be acceptable.

Yan Zhi decided on a double cover for this anniversary issue—so far, there was no problem. But the other person he invited was Zhao Dan.

Zhao Dan was the female lead in the Republican-era detective drama starring Jiang Si and Liu Qing, and also Jiang Si’s former—or rather, deceased—official partner.

If the two appeared on the cover together, it would be a massive blow to Jiang Si and Liu Qing’s CP fans. Anyone could guess how badly Jiang Si would be criticized.

“Are you sure Zhao Dan agreed to shoot a double cover with me?” Jiang Si asked with a frown. “Don’t try to fool me with some plan.”

“She agreed,” Yan Zhi leaned back in his chair, legs crossed leisurely. “MQ’s anniversary cover—what a great opportunity. Why wouldn’t she agree?”

Zhao Dan naturally resented Jiang Si and Liu Qing. After all, their official announcement had made her look like a fool.

Now that Yan Zhi was offering her a perfect opportunity for revenge, how could she refuse?

“So you’re ganging up to set me up, is that it?” Jiang Si finished, then turned to Zhuang Kang and asked, “Doesn’t this violate our agreement?”

“No,” Zhuang Kang was much calmer than Jiang Si, likely having foreseen this outcome. “The agreement didn’t specify a solo cover.”

“Why wasn’t that specified?” Jiang Si flared up. “Is this how you do your job as an agent?”

Zhuang Kang paused briefly, then said, “Because given your current status, you’re not quite qualified for a solo cover on MQ’s anniversary issue.”

The agency’s lobby displayed many of Jiang Si’s titles, but honestly, all of them combined didn’t hold much weight.

They might fool fans and outsiders, but they weren’t much leverage when negotiating with Yan Zhi.

“You…” Jiang Si took a deep breath, mindful of the outsider present, and suppressed his anger, “Whose side are you on?”

Zhuang Kang said, “I’m just stating facts.”

Yan Zhi tapped the desk, not wanting to waste more time, and said to Jiang Si, “If you’re unwilling to do a double cover with Zhao Dan, you can withdraw from the shoot.”

“Why should I?” Jiang Si said, “You kicked me off the New Year’s cover, and now you’re screwing me over on the anniversary issue too?”

“Then do it,” Yan Zhi said coolly. “The shoot is scheduled for this weekend.”

“Don’t you think you’re being too underhanded?” Jiang Si slammed his fist on the desk. “How long are you going to keep messing with me?”

“Jiang Si.” Zhuang Kang frowned, trying to calm him down.

“You call it underhanded,” Yan Zhi swiveled in his chair. “Did you ever reflect on yourselves when you spread rumors about Rong Ke using drugs?”

“I told you that was Liu Qing!” Jiang Si looked indignant. “He was behind it. Why do you keep targeting me?”

Just because you’re Rong Ke’s ex-boyfriend, you’re already sentenced to death in my book.

Yan Zhi didn’t say this aloud.

“It’s your decision whether to be on the cover or not,” Yan Zhi said. “Zhao Dan won Best Actress earlier this year, so a solo cover for her wouldn’t be a problem.”

Jiang Si left without giving an answer, but the next day Yan Zhi received a call from Zhuang Kang, saying the company had decided to give up the May issue cover.

She wanted to discuss possibilities for other months, but Yan Zhi naturally wouldn’t agree.

Over the next few days, Yan Zhi personally led a team to shoot the cover on location, while Rong Ke was nearing the end of filming with increasingly more scenes. The two barely had time to chat.

The third episode of “Patchwork Family” was released on the streaming platform. Sha Ya made his official appearance, and the hashtag #Rong Ke Killing It# soared to the top of the entertainment charts, its popularity momentarily overshadowing the main cast.

Meanwhile, another trending topic quietly climbed the main rankings.

#Jiang Si Acting#

“Meihua Lane¹” was Jiang Si’s first film as the lead actor, adapted from a serial killing case from the 1990s.

Jiang Si played a detective, a role within his comfort zone that didn’t require much breakthrough. However, film and television are fundamentally different, and the big screen magnifies every detail.

[To be honest, watching JS act in movies is so awkward…]
[I’d give the script four stars, but JS’s acting deducts three]
[JS should stick to TV dramas, movies aren’t for you]
[He actually started in films, you know. He’s just returning to his roots. Don’t talk nonsense if you don’t know]
[As a passerby, idol dramas suit him better. Just be responsible for looking handsome. His movie acting is really not up to par, no expressions at all. Might as well use AI to act]
[His line delivery is poor too. Compared to the veteran actors, he’s completely outclassed]
[Has this movie broken even yet? It’s been a week since release and hasn’t even reached 100 million]
[Off-topic, but he and RK debuted in the same movie. How did their acting skills end up so different?]
[RK is professionally trained and really delves into his roles. If he were in this movie, it’d be so much better]
[Bullshit, at least JS has box office appeal. What has RK got?]
[…]

Rong Ke was also speechless. He was just sitting in his hotel room, and trouble came out of nowhere.

He hadn’t done anything, yet he was still being criticized under Jiang Si’s trending topic.

He switched back to WeChat, about to ask Yan Zhi what time his flight would arrive, when suddenly someone knocked on his door.

“Who is it?” Rong Ke asked, but there was no response.

His heart skipped a beat. Could it be that someone had come back early to surprise him?

Excitedly opening the door, Rong Ke’s face fell when he saw who it was, and he moved to close it again.

“Wait.” Jiang Si squeezed into Rong Ke’s room. “I need to talk to you.”

“Your lover is upstairs,” Rong Ke said, hand on the doorknob, clearly wanting to chase him away.

“I really need to talk to you,” Jiang Si said, removing his mask. “Close the door first. You don’t want rumors about us, do you?”

Fine.

The film crew was full of prying eyes, and Rong Ke didn’t want anyone running upstairs to tell Liu Qing that his husband was entangled with Rong Ke downstairs.

“What is it?” Rong Ke asked, closing the door.

“Did you see the trending topics?” Jiang Si asked.

“Which one?”

“The one praising your acting.” Jiang Si frowned slightly, shoulders slumped, his tone dejected as he said, “And the one criticizing my acting for ruining the movie.”

“So?”

“I’ve only just realized that you were right. Acting isn’t just about being handsome.”

Rong Ke was bewildered. Did Jiang Si really come to the crew’s hotel late at night just to talk about this?

“Don’t tell me you want me to teach you how to act.”

“No, I just… wanted to talk to you.” Jiang Si sat at the foot of the bed, looking troubled. “Yan Zhi played dirty and ruined my chance for the anniversary issue cover. Did you know?”

“I knew. What about it?” Rong Ke asked indifferently.

“Can’t you persuade him to stop targeting me?” Jiang Si pleaded. “Does our relationship of so many years mean nothing to you?”

“It doesn’t,” Rong Ke replied without hesitation, leaving Jiang Si momentarily speechless.

“You know, I’ve been unable to sleep for nights on end lately,” Jiang Si continued. “Meihua Lane will likely lose money for the investors, and Yan Zhi keeps messing with me. Isn’t he just driving me into a corner?”

“You might not believe this, but I think I’ve developed depression.”

At this point, Rong Ke understood.

Jiang Si wanted to transition into film, but his first attempt wasn’t successful. He wanted to maintain his path as a traffic star, but Yan Zhi was holding him back, making him quite uncomfortable. So he had come to ask Rong Ke for help.

Rong Ke walked to the balcony, opened the glass door, and made a “please” gesture.

Jiang Si looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Aren’t you depressed?” Rong Ke said, “Go ahead, jump. End it all in one go.”

It wasn’t that Rong Ke didn’t respect people with depression; he just knew very well that Jiang Si couldn’t possibly be depressed.

Sure enough, seeing that his plea for help was useless, Jiang Si dropped his miserable act and frowned at Rong Ke, saying, “You weren’t like this before.”

“Like what?” Rong Ke asked.

“You used to be so soft-hearted towards me.”

That’s because the object of his soft-heartedness had changed to someone else.

Just as he thought this, Rong Ke’s phone chimed with a WeChat notification. He picked it up and looked: it was a message from Yan Zhi.

[Yan Zhi: image.jpg]
[Yan Zhi: I’m home]

Opening the image, this was far from just “I’m home”; it was clearly “I’m taking a bath.”

In the picture, Yan Zhi was sitting in the bathtub, his legs long and pale. A towel was draped over his lower abdomen, hiding the crucial area, but on top of the towel was a small pink object. It was the vibrator² Rong Ke bought for him.

So was Yan Zhi using it right now?

And even notifying Rong Ke in real-time.

This was way too provocative.

Rong Ke seriously doubted himself: could he really satisfy Yan Zhi?

Just then, another message popped up in the chat.

[Yan Zhi: When are you coming back?]

No matter how he looked at it, Rong Ke felt this was an invitation to the spider’s den³.

He was absolutely certain he’d be drained dry as soon as he got back.

But when even the beautiful god had sent him such an image, if he remained unmoved, it would be too disrespectful.

“Rong Ke?” Jiang Si’s voice interrupted Rong Ke’s thoughts.

“Do you have anything else?” Rong Ke locked his phone. “If not, I’m leaving.”

Jiang Si: “?”

“Isn’t this your room?”

Rong Ke ignored him, putting on his jacket, ready to leave.

“Are you going somewhere?” Jiang Si asked. “There are many paparazzi around here. You’re famous now, you should be careful.”

Rong Ke had been filming here for nearly two months, often going out to buy things bare-faced without even wearing a hat, and he’d never seen paparazzi trying to photograph him.

He pushed Jiang Si out the door. “Get lost quickly. I have things to do.”

Jiang Si didn’t follow Rong Ke out of the hotel, clearly heading upstairs to find Liu Qing.

Rong Ke walked quickly towards the parking lot with his car keys, but after just a few steps, he heard someone shout, “It’s Rong Ke!!!”

He froze in his tracks, startled, then saw a crowd of girls rushing towards him. Oddly, these girls were holding fan merchandise for another male celebrity. If Rong Ke remembered correctly, that person’s new drama was having its opening ceremony today.

Before Rong Ke could react, he was surrounded on all sides.

Most of these fans had professional cameras, and the flash of lights nearly blinded Rong Ke.

“Ah! Rong Ke is so handsome!”

“Oh my god!!! What luck! We actually ran into Rong Ke!”

Rong Ke was completely overwhelmed. He lowered his head and saw that the other celebrity’s poster had fallen to the ground, so he reminded them, “You dropped something.”

He thought he might be able to break through while people picked up their things, but someone stepped right on the poster to take his picture.

Rong Ke: “…” You’re all fake fans, aren’t you?

Rong Ke was trapped in the crowd, unable to move. But just then, Zhou Lin, who must have heard the commotion from upstairs, came down to control the fans.

The crowd was equally excited to see Zhou Lin, and the scene became chaotic. Fortunately, Zhou Lin was experienced and managed to calm the fans and pull Rong Ke back into the hotel.

“You’re really famous now, Rong Ke,” Zhou Lin said. “Don’t run around like this next time.”

Rong Ke was still a bit shaken, but more than the fact that he was now famous, he was more concerned about how he could go back to indulge—no, accompany His Royal Highness now?