Chapter 47#

“Devoted” Best Actor (1)#

The man, whose present appearance was strikingly similar to his own, stared at their clasped hands for a moment before speaking in a slightly hoarse voice: “Let go.”

“Please give me a few minutes.” Lu Yi took a deep breath, grabbed the pile of clothes off the floor as fast as he could, and rushed from the bed to the bathroom, then locked the bathroom door from the inside in one go.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to wear clean clothes; it was just that last night’s situation had been a bit intense—both of their clothes were dirty, and there was no way he could go out in filthy attire.

Since it was a high-end hotel suite, there was a washing machine and dryer, among other things. He tossed all the clothes he had grabbed into the washer, and while he showered, he put them in the dryer.

He stood under the showerhead, rinsing the marks on his body with cold water, running his right hand through his hair, forcing himself to calm down and quickly recall what had happened after he blacked out last night, as well as who that man, so similar to the original body, really was in the original timeline.

Amid the sound of flowing water, a mist of water droplets formed on the glass door of the shower, gathering into streams that outlined the young man’s strong, well-proportioned body.

After showering, Lu Yi put on the thin shirt and suit pants that had been dried.

Since he was only a nobody in the entertainment industry and came from an average family, Lu Xingchen naturally couldn’t afford the high-end custom suits worn by popular young stars.

The clothes he had brought belonged to both of them. The poorer-quality ones were Lu Xingchen’s, while the better-quality ones obviously belonged to the unlucky guy sitting on the bed.

Lu Yi sighed and put on the well-fitting clothes. Though the clothes were cheap, the man in the mirror was young and handsome, his youthful face brimming with vibrant, energetic vitality. Lu Yi adjusted his expression slightly, digested the complex memories flooding his mind, took a few deep breaths, and then walked over to the man carrying the dried, folded clothes.

“Do you want to put on clothes first or take a shower first?” He didn’t ask the man’s name but instead said this.

The other man glanced at him, grabbed the clothes, and went into the bathroom, slamming the door shut heavily.

Looking at his now-empty hands, Lu Yi began to clean up the mess from last night. This wasn’t just because his habit of keeping things tidy persisted even after taking over this body; more importantly, as an eighteenth-tier little star, he always had to maintain his image. If anything compromising were to be photographed, his reputation would definitely suffer.

Normal dating and creating on-screen couples boosted popularity, but being labeled as someone’s kept man would land him in a scandal. The already meager popularity he had might vanish entirely.

Lu Yi didn’t have much talent for acting, but he didn’t want to ruin the image Lu Xingchen had painstakingly built. Most importantly, he didn’t want to become the target of gossip and finger-pointing on the entertainment pages the moment he became Lu Xingchen.

The sound of water came from the bathroom, and there seemed to be commotion outside the door. He stood up and peered through the peephole at the hallway outside. Sure enough, a bunch of paparazzi and entertainment reporters with cameras were gathered at the hotel entrance. But they weren’t targeting his room—they were focused on Room 409 across the way.

Since this was a high-end suite, the soundproofing was decent. He couldn’t make out what the reporters were saying, but amid the chaos, he saw a big star being protected by his agent and bodyguards, forcefully breaking through the crowd.

The man wore a black mask covering most of his face, revealing only a pair of captivating peach-blossom eyes. From the memories of the original body, Lu Yi deduced that this was He Xiao, a popular young star currently at the peak of his fame in the entertainment industry. He was also the most significant figure in the original Lu Xingchen’s life.

In the original timeline, Lu Xingchen had been drugged and thrown into Room 409, where he ended up spending the night with He Xiao, who was either drunk or likewise set up.

The next morning, before Lu Xingchen could react, someone opened the door deliberately. Cameras and flashbulbs exposed his panicked face to the world.

In this world, like his own, same-sex marriage was legal, but heterosexuality was still the mainstream. Many male stars initially used bromance and same-sex gimmicks to quickly gain popularity, but once famous, they would distance themselves from their homosexual identity.

Most artists who were genuinely gay kept their orientation under wraps because, unless they reached a certain level, coming out would result in vicious abuse and a rapid decline in popularity.

Although He Xiao did like men, after entering the entertainment industry, his company crafted an image of a sincere, single straight guy—pure and unpretentious, unlike those male stars who played up same-sex attraction.

With his outstanding looks, commendable acting skills, and a bit of luck, He Xiao skyrocketed to fame after starring in a certain show, gaining a legion of devoted female fans.

As Lu Xingchen’s one-night stand, he was obviously not going to be the reason He Xiao sacrificed his flourishing career.

To prove his innocence, He Xiao’s studio released a statement first condemning the shameless artist, then threw all the blame onto Lu Xingchen.

Through various means, the studio found some of Lu Xingchen’s classmates and fabricated evidence, portraying Lu Xingchen as a desperate social climber.

In this fabricated story, Lu Xingchen had drugged himself, bribed hotel staff to enter the room, and tipped off the paparazzi, all to latch onto He Xiao’s coattails, create a scandal, and gain attention—since negative fame was still fame, and in the entertainment industry, attention was everything.

As a nobody, Lu Xingchen had almost no fans. Those fans didn’t bother verifying the truth of the evidence; they only knew that their perfect boyfriend—the only real straight guy in the entertainment industry—had been schemed against without any scruples.

Being in the entertainment industry meant Lu Xingchen had little to no privacy. His address was quickly dug up by fans, and he received threatening letters every day. His Weibo followers skyrocketed, but almost every new follower was there to curse him.

Every private message he opened was filled with endless abuse and obscene images. Even after he disabled comments, these people persisted in expressing their outrage through reposts, relentlessly, day and night, nonstop.

Under the constant onslaught of online violence and real-life threats, Lu Xingchen gradually transformed from a vibrant, positive young man into a severe depression patient.

He became gloomy, withdrawn, and lost all faith in life. Then, on a spring day in full bloom, he chose to end his life by jumping from a tall building, quietly and without fanfare.

Because he wasn’t famous, his death was reported like any other ordinary person’s—just as “Citizen Lu, male, XX years old,” with a brief mention of his identity as an artist.

After the company issued a statement, the rabid fans finally stopped their meaningless attacks. But they didn’t think they had done anything wrong. Instead, they felt a self-congratulatory sense of having protected their idol like knights. As for that shameless gay Lu Xingchen, he had only committed suicide out of shame after recognizing his own filth and depravity.

That one-night stand, orchestrated by someone with ulterior motives, was a devastating blow to the small-time star Lu Xingchen. But for He Xiao, it was just a pebble thrown into a deep pool—barely a ripple before disappearing without a trace.

In the end, He Xiao ascended to the throne of Best Actor. And after a collaboration, he fell deeply in love with a male star, swept away by the on-screen romance.

Eventually, they both came out, got married, and received the whole entertainment industry’s blessings.

Before that man, every partner He Xiao had dated had been a beautiful woman. Only that man was the one he truly loved. He loved him not because of his gender, but because he was the person he loved.

That kind of love was a fatal attraction; he couldn’t control himself. In the video announcing his relationship, Best Actor He Xiao said sorry to his fans while confessing his uncontrollable emotions.

The man He Xiao loved was Kong Si, an actor as famous and respected as He Xiao himself. Though low-key, Kong Si had a fiercely loyal, cohesive, and well-reputed fan base.

Moreover, the movie they collaborated on was about a same-sex romance. It won multiple awards and attracted a huge number of real-life couple fans.

Both of them held high positions in the entertainment industry. Their eventual union was accepted by both fanbases, and they became a famous power couple in the industry.

The little star Lu Xingchen, who had once “tainted” He Xiao, was completely forgotten. But if anyone were to dig up Lu Xingchen’s photos and compare them with Kong Si, they would find that the two shared a striking resemblance.

However, back then, Lu Xingchen had entered He Xiao’s room and ended up sleeping with him—not because He Xiao had also been set up. In reality, He Xiao was just tipsy and still sober-minded. He slept with Lu Xingchen simply because Lu Xingchen looked a bit like the person he liked.

In a moment of confusion and unable to control his lower half, he made the wrong choice. And the reason Lu Xingchen had been set up was precisely because someone knew who He Xiao liked.

The person who orchestrated the whole thing was after He Xiao all along. Lu Xingchen was just an unlucky pawn who had been mistaken for the target.

The recollection of the original fate stopped abruptly here. And as if afraid that Lu Yi would have an easy path with all the memories, the later part of the story began to blur rapidly. He could only vaguely grasp the general direction and sense what he should do, but he couldn’t remember the details of what happened next.

Watching the reporters with cameras follow the masked Best Actor He Xiao away, Lu Yi let out a long sigh.

Thank goodness his subconscious had warned him that staying in Room 409 would lead to disaster, and he had managed to get out in time. Otherwise, he might have suffered the same online violence.

Before entering the entertainment industry, the nobody Lu Xingchen was just a boy from an average family. He had both parents and a cute sister, but they were at best moderately well-off. His personal savings barely reached five figures.

Especially in the past year, after his debut, he was quickly frozen out by the company. He even had to take part-time jobs to support himself. Being a star meant spending money on your image, and at his level, the company didn’t provide any support. Everything depended on himself. Lu Xingchen lived a very tight life.

Lu Yi had a much stronger will than the original Lu Xingchen. Even in a similar situation, he might not have been crushed by online violence. But it would still cause him immense trouble.

When he saw He Xiao, a vague thought surfaced in his mind about the way he might leave this world: change He Xiao’s fate and make him suffer.

That wasn’t an easy task. Put aside morality for a moment—He Xiao was undeniably handsome, had passable acting skills, and his team was excellent at marketing and public relations.

As the company’s cash cow, it was hard to shake He Xiao’s position. To make him feel pressured and miserable, Lu Yi’s method would be to completely outperform him in all aspects.

Unfortunately, Lu Yi himself wasn’t a great actor. He could play a “cold-faced CEO” type based on his own personality, but trying to go head-to-head with He Xiao in acting would only end in mockery.

“What are you looking at?” A low, hoarse male voice suddenly sounded behind him. Lu Yi turned around to see the face of the other victim.

Meeting the familiar-looking features similar to the original body’s, he said calmly, “Let’s talk. What happened last night? When I came in, I passed out on the floor. When I woke up, it was like this.”

“What do you mean by that? Are you implying that I drugged you? Are you kidding me? You came into my room—this is my room!” Kong Si’s emotions were uncontrollable. In the bathroom just now, he had vaguely pieced together last night’s events.

Unable to hold his liquor, he had wisely retreated to his room. But as soon as he locked the door, a man pounced on him, pinning him down. Since he had been drinking, he ended up doing something regrettable under the influence.

That was one reason. But the man who appeared in his room, clearly drugged, was the real culprit.

Now this guy was implying it was his fault and trying to turn the tables. Just after waking up, he had been so earnest about taking responsibility, even thoughtfully washing and drying his clothes.

He had thought the guy was a decent person. Never expected him to be such an irresponsible bastard. Wait—his train of thought seemed a bit derailed.

Kong Si said coldly, “You’d better give me a valid reason for being in my room.”