Chapter 51#
“Devoted” Movie King (5)#
Li He’s expression froze on his face. As soon as he came to his senses, he reached out to snatch the phone from Lu Yi’s hand. Lu Yi wasn’t on guard and just let him take it.
Just as Li He revealed a smug smile and was about to smash the phone, Lu Yi’s voice suddenly rang out coldly: “I’ve already backed up the recording online. If you break it, remember to buy me a new phone.”
The smugness on Li He’s face hadn’t fully spread before it came to an abrupt halt. The overly dramatic shifts in his emotions twisted his features somewhat. He held the phone high, looking a bit furious, but in the end, he didn’t smash it. He sat back down in the chair.
He regained the demeanor of a slick, even somewhat sinister agent—calm, composed, as cunning as a fox: “This audio doesn’t mean much, does it? If you release it, it’ll affect you far more than it affects me.”
Lu Yi said, “What if I plan to quit the entertainment industry entirely and don’t intend to participate in any related commercial performances?”
Li He replied, “If that’s the case, why go through all this trouble? You could just wait until your contract with the company expires.”
He didn’t believe Lu Xingchen’s words. After being shelved by the company for so long, Lu Xingchen still seemed as eager as ever about this circle. Someone like that, claiming they want to quit the entertainment industry forever, give up all related activities, abandon that dazzling, spotlight-filled life—no way. How could that be possible?
It wasn’t like he had water in his brain to believe such a lie from Lu Xingchen so easily. The only reason he got caught off guard and recorded this time was that he thought Lu Xingchen was a fool and was too confident in himself, leading to him falling for the other’s scheme. But relying on just this little bit of evidence to toy with him completely? Impossible.
Lu Yi retrieved the original owner’s phone from Li He’s hand. “I have my own reasons for wanting to resolve this matter, Mr. Li. If you don’t agree, that’s fine. I’m not a clever person; I don’t know how to manipulate public opinion. But Mr. He Xiao’s fans, outraged over his fright and scheming, would certainly be more than happy to seek justice for him.”
He smiled. “I’m just a minor artist with no fame, still shelved by the company. Since I have nothing, there’s nothing for me to lose. But it’s different for you, Mr. Li. Drugging an artist, dragging another artist down for your own selfish desires, doing the work of an agent while running a pimping business—if that gets out, I’m afraid it won’t just be Mr. He Xiao causing a stir.”
He looked at his phone. “When I left yesterday, thanks to the help of Mr. He’s agent, he’s still trying to find out who schemed against his artist. Yesterday, I insisted you were a good man and didn’t expose you. But now… I think maybe I don’t need to keep it a secret.”
Cold sweat dripped down Li He’s forehead. Although he managed over a dozen artists, and one or two had developed well enough to be his cash cows, in terms of status, he was far inferior to He Xiao’s agent.
Moreover, the other party’s company was far more famous in the industry than the small company he worked for.
Agents aren’t as well-known as artists, nor do they rely on artists for their livelihood. But because he was in this line of work, he knew how terrifying some celebrities’ fanatical fans could be.
Especially He Xiao, who was riding a wave of popularity, attracting a large number of young, immature fans. These fans were young, easily swayed, but also highly combative. For their idol, they could say and do anything, no matter how terrifying.
If Lu Xingchen released this recording and used public opinion to stir things up, tagging it with things like “industry insider rules,” it might even create a new trending topic. Then he’d really have a hard time surviving in the industry.
Admittedly, this incident wouldn’t have a small impact on Lu Xingchen either. But what if the other party had really given up on this circle and was willing to go all out?
Barefoot people aren’t afraid of those wearing shoes. As someone wearing shoes, he was truly terrified of this barefoot Lu Xingchen, who had nothing to lose.
For the first time, he held back his explosive temper in front of Lu Xingchen, speaking politely and respectfully as if to a superior: “I understand your difficulties, and I can empathize with your actions. This contract of yours is indeed a helpless move after being shelved. But you know, I’m just a very ordinary agent. When it comes to contract matters, I can’t make the decision.”
Since being tough wasn’t working, Li He tried a different approach. Lu Yi countered him, “That’s not what you used to say in front of me.”
As an agent, Li He’s favorite line was how capable he was, how pivotal he was in the company.
But reality was clearly different from his boasting. Whether an artist could successfully terminate a contract wasn’t something he could just decide casually.
Li He said, “I was bragging. I don’t have that much power.”
Seeing Li He’s restrained expression, Lu Yi finally felt the other man was being somewhat reasonable, unlike before when he was still clinging to hope even when trapped, facing the irrefutable evidence Lu Yi had presented.
Lu Yi relented, “Do as I say, and after it’s done, I’ll naturally delete this evidence.”
Half an hour later, Kong Si asked Lu Yi, “That guy just now—will he really do what you said? I still think releasing the recording would be better.”
Lu Yi shook his head. “If I release it, I lose my leverage. Someone like Li He—can you guarantee he won’t go for broke, a fight to the death?”
Sometimes going too far kills the fun. Besides, he was just asking Li He to use his connections to resolve a trivial contract issue for a minor star.
Li He had been at this entertainment company for a long time, managing over a dozen artists. He must have some connections. He schemed against the original owner; now Lu Yi was asking him to swallow his pride and solve the problem. That wasn’t too much, was it?
“Fine, anyway, I’m not commenting on your entertainment industry matters.” Kong Si rubbed his numb thighs. Last night’s events had really worn him out. As soon as he woke up, he was running around for checks, then the marriage thing. He hadn’t had a proper rest at all. It was only just now, while Lu Yi was negotiating with that agent Li He, that he finally got some decent rest.
He scanned the messy little room. “This is where you live?”
“Yeah, temporary. It’s a rental.”
Most entertainment companies are based in big cities like Shanghai. For convenience, even without gigs, artists can’t just rent a place in another city to live. Housing here is incredibly expensive. Given Lu Xingchen’s status and fame, in the eyes of the company and his agent, he deserved nothing more than to fend for himself and rent a place like this.
Kong Si stood up. “Get up and pack up quickly. Bring whatever you need and come with me.”
Lu Yi asked him, “Where to?”
“To my place, of course.” He kicked an empty cola can on the floor. “Since we’ve got the marriage certificate, we’re newlyweds. On our wedding night, you don’t expect me to stay here with you, do you? I’m not the type to let my wife live in a dirty, messy pigsty like this.”
As if in retaliation, he deliberately emphasized the word “wife.”
“Then sit and rest. Give me fifteen minutes.”
Although they both liked men, Lu Xingchen was no different from the average straight guy. He had most of the common straight guy flaws—careless, not bothered by details. And with his life not going so smoothly, the original owner’s place was indeed small, dirty, and messy.
A simple single bed barely fit a tall, long-limbed man. Two people sleeping on it definitely wasn’t possible.
Lu Yi rolled up his sleeves and stuffed most of the original owner’s belongings into a large garbage bag. Anything meaningful or important to the original owner went into the suitcase.
Having two people clean up would be faster, but this was the original owner’s—now his—rental place. There was no reason to make Kong Si clean. And although Kong Si tried hard to hide it, his walking posture had been a bit awkward from earlier until now. Lu Yi wasn’t an animal. He wouldn’t force a “wounded” person to help with such a trivial matter.
He took ten minutes to finish all the cleaning and another five to call the apartment manager for inspection. He wanted to cancel the lease.
Since it was a cheap, old-style apartment out in the suburbs, the lease was on a month-to-month basis with one month’s deposit and rent paid in advance each month.
The manager looked at the place, glanced at the contract Lu Yi presented, and said in heavily accented Mandarin, “You can terminate the contract early, but since you signed a six-month contract and only lived here for three months, the deposit definitely won’t be refunded.”
“I understand. After I hand over the keys, that’s it, right?”
Although he was short on money now, Lu Yi wasn’t about to haggle over a few hundred bucks. Besides, he was the one breaking the contract. It would be kind of the landlord to refund it; not returning the deposit was normal.
“Yeah, hand over the keys and you’re good to go. Remember to take your trash out.”
Lu Yi glanced at Kong Si, who was playing on his phone. “Kong Si, we’re ready. Let’s go.”
Hearing his name, Kong Si looked up and realized the place had suddenly become bright and clean. He wiggled his slightly numb hands and feet, then helped Lu Yi carry a few large bags of trash downstairs.
As they got into the car, Lu Yi said, “I’ll drive. Just tell me the address.”
Kong Si looked at him. “Do you know how to drive?”
“I got my license in college.” The original owner participated in a talent show and debuted in the second semester of his freshman year. He signed a contract in his sophomore year and just graduated in his senior year.
Kong Si didn’t say anything and took the passenger seat. The main reason was that he really hurt sitting down. Driving was physically demanding, so he’d leave that to the other guy.
The car slowly started moving. Two people couldn’t just stare at their phones the whole time. Kong Si tried to learn more about Lu Yi by asking basic questions.
“I remember you’re 21 this year, right? Weren’t you already a star? Are you still in college?” This was the downside of a flash marriage—too short a time together, knowing nothing about each other before marrying. Now they had to ask everything.
Lu Yi explained, “I just graduated this year. Got my diploma, so I’m a proper bachelor’s graduate. I went to the School of Art at Southern University. My grades were pretty average.”
Because he signed with the company, Lu Xingchen’s academics weren’t great. He barely scraped by in every subject, some classes he failed, but he passed the makeup exams and managed to get his diploma.
“So you’re three years younger than me. From now on, when we’re outside, call me Brother Kong.” Kong Si thought that at least he’d found a younger wolf cub for himself. “A man three years younger brings gold bricks,” as the saying goes.
Lu Yi didn’t take the bait. Although his body was indeed younger than Kong Si, his actual age was older. Calling the other man “brother” wasn’t happening.
Seeing Lu Yi stay silent, Kong Si continued, “So your grades must not have been great. If you really quit the entertainment industry, what are you going to do? Didn’t you say you’d support me earlier? I’m not easy to support.”
He still remembered Lu Yi’s earlier boast about making big money to support him. A kid like that, daring to talk big.
“There are many ways to make money; you don’t have to be an artist.” The car stopped at a red light. Lu Yi’s left hand rested on the steering wheel, while his right hand reached over and tousled Kong Si’s hair. “Give me one month. No matter how hard you are to support, I’ll manage.”
The young man’s hand seemed to have some kind of magic, smoothing out Kong Si’s chaotic thoughts. When he came to his senses, the driver was staring intently ahead.
He muttered, “Still just a kid. Who are you trying to impress?”
But after Lu Yi responded with a smile, he said nothing more. Clearly, he was relatively receptive to the gesture.
Soon, the car stopped at Kong Si’s place—a high-end residential complex within the third ring of S City. It was a 150-square-meter apartment he bought three years ago, partly with his own money and partly with family support.
Kong Si usually lived alone. The apartment had a warm color scheme and a distinctive design.
Entering the foyer, Kong Si walked to the door of the second bedroom. “Put your luggage in here. I’m not used to sleeping with others.”
He married on impulse, but post-marriage would require adjustment. Even if Lu Yi seemed similar to him and reduced his initial aversion, accepting him immediately was impossible.
Lu Yi nodded. “Got it.”
“This apartment is my pre-marital property. The loan isn’t fully paid off yet, but my salary covers it, so you don’t need to worry. As for daily expenses, you only have 5,000 yuan now, so use mine first. Once you find a job, we can set up a joint account.”
The first thing about marriage was to lay out their financial situations. Kong Si confessed first: “My income is unstable—20k to 50k per month. I’m an only child. My dad is a college professor, my mom a doctor. Both from B City. I’m a freelancer, studied interior design in college. Sometimes I’m busy and won’t be home often. Personal savings? About 200k currently. After graduation, I developed in S City, so I bought this apartment. There’s still a 2 million mortgage, 20-year term, about 100k a year. The car you’re driving today is mine.”
His family could afford to pay for the apartment outright, but he didn’t want to bother with personal investments. A mortgage like this, where the property appreciates, is itself an investment.
Funny enough, this was information that should have been known before marriage. Now they were married and only just now exchanging these introductory lines. He wondered what had possessed him earlier.
Lu Yi also introduced himself in the same style: “Lu Yi, from A City, D Province. Father is a photographer, mother a music teacher. I have a sister five years younger. I already mentioned my academics. I just terminated my contract with the entertainment company. I have 5,000 yuan in savings, no debt, currently unemployed. No house or car.”
The original owner came from an artistic family, influenced by his upbringing, which led him down the path of an artist. After carefully reviewing his situation, Lu Yi realized that, in terms of existing conditions, he was not a good match for Kong Si.
But Kong Si didn’t seem to care much. “Then I’ll be counting on you from now on. I don’t have a good temper, and I hate beating around the bush. Even though we got married because of… that, I have no ‘first-time’ hang-ups. If we don’t get along, we’ll just divorce.”
He looked around. “This is your home now too. If you need anything, we’ll buy it later. I hope we can share the housework, okay?”
Although his temper wasn’t great, Kong Si wasn’t hard to get along with. He didn’t like taking advantage of others. And since he was three years older than Lu Yi, he felt he should be a bit more tolerant.
“Fine.”
“Then that’s it for today. I’m going to rest now. Do whatever you want.”
Having said that, Kong Si stretched widely, walked into the master bedroom, and with a click, locked the door behind him.
After closing the door, he didn’t rest. Instead, he opened his work laptop and logged into QQ and WeChat.
He opened various groups. In the three-person family WeChat group, five minutes ago, his mom had forwarded a health article: “Eating This at Night Is Like Eating Poison—Quit Even If You Like It.” His dad had posted some morning greeting quotes from god knows which group.
Normally, Kong Si didn’t post in that group unless necessary. But after thinking it over, he took a photo of the marriage certificate with his phone and sent it to the group, @ing his parents.
Probably because it was mealtime, no one replied for a while. Having done such a dramatic thing and having no one to share it with was frustrating. He simply posted it on his Moments, set to ‘friends only.’ He didn’t bother showing off in the big high school alumni group, but he sent it to a few small groups of close friends.
Pictures of the two marriage certificates side by side, and the open certificate with their smiling faces together, were also taken and uploaded.
Kong Si: I announce that I got married today. Prepare your red envelopes. I contributed to all your weddings before.
Since graduating, he had felt the pain of giving out red envelopes. Now he could finally recoup.
Fatty Fatty Fish: This marriage certificate looks so real, photoshopped? What app? Name, please? URL?
Sweet Caicai: Name, URL, please.
Yao Nana: +1
Tomato Scrambled with Eggs: +10086
Their reactions were completely different from what he expected. Annoyed, Kong Si was about to type something when a WeChat notification popped up.
He clicked it. The family group.
Mom: What do you mean by this? You don’t want to get married?
Kong Si’s mother was heartbroken. She had just barely accepted that her son liked men, and now he sends this photo—suggesting he doesn’t actually like men, but just likes himself.
Kong Si felt like vomiting blood.
He had wanted to shock everyone, but instead, he injured himself: Mom, look closely. That’s not your son. Really. I’m just telling you I got married.
His mother didn’t believe him at all. So Kong Si had to leave his room and search the living room. Not seeing Lu Yi, he knocked on the bedroom door.
“Lu Yi, are you in there?”
At this moment, Lu Yi was checking the stock market through relevant software. He didn’t have much money now, and low-paying freelance work wasn’t suitable for him.
So his priority was still to go back to his old trade. With too little capital, he planned to observe and study for a while before considering borrowing start-up money from the original owner’s parents.
Even though he and Kong Si were married, he couldn’t just ask for money directly. He would wait until he earned some, then consider investing their combined income.
Hearing Kong Si’s voice, he responded, “In here. Wait a moment.”
When alone, he had a habit of locking the door.
He opened the door, and Kong Si immediately held up his phone, leaning in. “Come on, look at the camera. Smile.”
Lu Yi was momentarily stunned, then instinctively revealed a standard smile—a forty-five-degree upward curve of the lips.
The new joint photo was sent out, and only then did the group believe Kong Si was really married. Their reason? Kong Si could never have such a proper, polite smile.
“Alright, go back and rest.”
Kong Si waved his hand and disappeared back into the bedroom.
Lu Yi was still a bit dazed, not knowing what his “new wife” was up to. Half an hour later, Kong Si knocked on his door again.
Then asked for his personal account.
Lu Yi gave him the phone number linked to the original owner’s account. With a ding, his phone notified him that 30,000 yuan had been deposited into the account.
The transfer note read: Wedding gift money, please check—Mrs. Lu’s husband.
Looking at the note, Lu Yi first showed a helpless smile. Then he couldn’t help but doubt the original owner’s memory—was this Kong Si really the future “Movie King”? He must have remembered wrong.