Chapter 32 I'm the male lead's backer, I don't want to be a backer! ...

After they talked things out, the young couple's relationship became even better than before.

Si Qi teased Chu Feng: "So, you have the ability to predict the future? Did you know we would be together the first time you met me?"

Chu Feng shook his head unexpectedly: "I met you in high school, and I never thought we would meet again after graduation... I didn't see anything back then."

Si Qi grunted, "I mean, our first meeting at the research institute."

Chu Feng's ears turned red, and she responded softly, embarrassed, "Mm."

Si Qi glanced at Chu Feng's bright red ears, his smile malicious: "Looking at you like this, what did you see? Hmm? You look so guilty."

Chu Feng: "No..."

Si Qi clung to Chu Feng, throwing himself onto his back to prevent him from escaping: "Confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely, tell me quickly!"

Chu Feng, feeling embarrassed, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then turned to Si Qi and whispered, "It's just..."

Si Qi hissed, his heart pounding with anticipation. He retorted sharply, swinging back and forth on Chu Feng's back: "You little rascal, Chu Feng! I never knew you were such a closet pervert! You're so naughty!"

Chu Feng didn't know why she had done such a thing. She lowered her head and shyly admitted, "I guess it's because I like you too much."

Si Qi chuckled, grabbed Chu Feng's ear, and said, "Shall we give it a try?"

Chu Feng blushed and his neck turned red, but he didn't refuse: "Really?"

"Hmm! Didn't you mean doctors and nurses? I have nurse uniforms..."

Chu Feng's ears turned bright red, and he added, "There's also a stethoscope, for tying hands."

Si Qi's eyes widened: "I said you're bad, and you really don't hide it at all!"

Chu Feng snorted softly, "I'm just that bad, don't you like it?"

"I love it so much~" Si Qi lowered his head and gave Chu Feng a big kiss on the cheek.

The couple were so affectionate that they couldn't contain their emotions. Mrs. Si quickly noticed the rapid progress in their relationship by looking at the rings and said with a smile, "From now on, we're family."

Chu Feng had heard Si's mother say this when he had a premonition, and hearing it again made him feel completely different. He mustered his courage and called out firmly, "Mom."

"Oh! Good boy!" Mrs. Si smiled broadly, patting Chu Feng on the shoulder. "Mom will give you a big red envelope later!"

Chu Feng smiled shyly. It seemed like he hadn't called out that word in a long time, but this time he did so with extra sincerity.

That day, the three of them sat and talked for a long time until late at night. After they all went back to rest, Chu Feng and Si Qi stood at the bedroom door and looked at each other. Si Qi invited, "Would you like to see the collection in my closet?"

Chu Feng pursed her lips, her ears turning red, and they went to Si Qi's room without saying a word.

That night, they tried on many, many of the items in the collection.

...

The news of Si Qi's engagement spread far and wide, but he did not invite anyone from the Si family to the engagement ceremony.

When Si's father found out, he was furious and said disdainfully to everyone he met, "You have some self-awareness; you knew you wouldn't go even if I were invited."

In reality, he had been secretly on guard for quite some time.

He didn't approve of Si Qi and Chu Feng's relationship. Having a wife and son, yet still wanting to have affairs and father children, he couldn't understand Si Qi's decision to be a homosexual and cut off his lineage. He believed Si Qi would regret it when he got older and would beg him for a child.

But he waited and waited, until the situation at Si's company worsened, until the dirty deeds within the company were exposed one after another, until more and more artists who valued their reputation terminated their contracts and left, and until new artists fled at the mere mention of Si's name, and he still received no news of Si Qi backing down.

However, Si Qi's name appeared on the rich list a few years later.

"Heng Hui Group, Xinyuan Bio, Wanfang Technology, and dozens of other invested companies—your Si Qi is truly remarkable," an acquaintance in the industry remarked to Si's father. "With Si Qi being so capable, how could he have allowed Si's Entertainment to fall into its current state?"

Mr. Si stared at Si Qi's name on the webpage, followed by the asset valuation, his face filled with shock and disbelief: "How is this possible? He's just a mineral water seller..."

Those who knew Si couldn't help but look at him with pity.

How out of touch must one be to be so ignorant?

"Even if it's bottled water, it's the best-selling brand in the country. Haven't you heard the saying? If everyone in the country gave me two yuan, I could become the richest man in the country."

He pointed to Si Qi's name on the screen: "See, he's become one now."

With a net worth of over 600 billion, even if the second-ranked person combined their abilities to create clones, they still couldn't match him. He completely dominated the top spot and would easily be among the top ten on the global rich list.

Si Qi is not even thirty years old this year.

Si Fu was stunned, numb, and completely unable to understand.

"I heard that the net profit of that mineral water alone was more than 5 billion in the first half of this year." Seeing the incredulous look in his father's eyes, the acquaintance nodded to show his certainty: "That's right. The profit of just one product in half a year is higher than the market value of your Si family's entire company at its peak."

As if the blow to Si's father wasn't enough, the acquaintance continued, "You know Xinyuan Bio, right? The vaccine that was on the official evening news last year was developed by Xinyuan Bio. It's said that after Xinyuan filed for bankruptcy, it was acquired by Si Qi for a little over ten million. That same year, Xinyuan developed the vaccine, and after it went public, its market value skyrocketed to 16 billion, becoming a legend in the industry."

Si's father was completely bewildered. He was busy eating, drinking, and having fun every day and had never heard of such things. The guys he hung out with weren't good at building a career, so naturally they wouldn't discuss these things with him.

The only group of illegitimate children who might know the situation would never tell Si's father about such things. So Si's father only heard people in the company repeatedly say how amazing Si Qi was and how great it would be if he were in charge of the company, but he didn't know why the shareholders said that.

Only now did he finally understand the meaning behind the shareholders' words and what Si Qi had been doing in the years since he left the Si Corporation.

"The researcher who developed the vaccine is Si Qi's current partner. I heard that although he spends all his time in the lab and doesn't like to go out, he has an extremely sharp eye. No matter who comes in front of him, he can see through their thoughts in no time and directly reveal their secrets. Many people who have met him say that he is an extraordinary person and have exaggerated his abilities to an almost mystical degree."

Si's father's lips trembled slightly as he recalled how, a few years ago, he had loudly mocked Chu Feng in Si Qi's office, calling him an unknown nobody who was only after Si Qi's money. He claimed that even though they were both mistresses of rich men, Chu Feng was not as good as his mistress who could bear his children. For a moment, his emotions were so complicated that he could not speak.

He only knew that Si Qi was capable, but he didn't know that Si Qi's abilities were this great. Back then, Old Master Si probably saw Si Qi's abilities, which is why he overruled everyone's objections and bypassed him, the eldest son, to directly let Si Qi inherit the Si family business.

Unfortunately, he always felt that Si Qi did not respect him as his father and wanted to see Si Qi regret his actions. So he let Si Qi leave the company and go to work for his mother's small company, which was far inferior to Si's in both size and reputation. He managed to turn that small company into a company that Si's could not even come close to today.

He finally felt regret, and couldn't help but wonder if Si Qi hadn't left, could Si's Group have developed into a top domestic enterprise like Heng Hui? Would he not be so preoccupied with his useless illegitimate children, the company's declining profits, and having to consider how much money would be left in his account before buying anything...?

What good are his many illegitimate children? All of them combined are not worth a single finger of Si Qi's. On the contrary, because there are many of them, they always ask him for this and that, saying that he is biased and gives more to others than to himself.

This is clearly a bunch of debt collectors! Not only does no one respect him or give him money for retirement, but they all covet the little benefit he has and want to empty his pockets.

Looking at Si Qi's name on the webpage, Si's father felt deep regret.

If I had known, I wouldn't have done that...

As soon as Si's father heard this "bad news," the news that Si Qi had become the richest man in China became a hot topic in the media and was known to more people.

Unlike Si's father, who was greatly shocked, netizens were astonished to see Si Qi's name at the top of the list and his age.

"Some people struggle their whole lives and never reach Rome, while others are born standing at the pinnacle of Rome."

When netizens saw Heng Hui's name in Si Qi's assets, and compared it with Si Qi's age, they subconsciously assumed that Si Qi had inherited his parents' business to top the wealth list, and their comments were full of envy.

But soon someone learned about Si Qi's rise to wealth and realized that this was a hot topic that could definitely go viral. They worked overnight to collect Si Qi's history of success, summarized it, and made it into a video, which was then posted online. Only then did netizens learn that there was such an amazing genius in the world.

"At the age of 23, he left Si's Entertainment, parted ways with his father, and took over his mother's business. That year, he made Heng Hui Mineral Water and a series of other beverages go viral online, with sales soaring to more than a hundred times that of previous years!"

"In just a few years, we have not only transformed Heng Hui from a mediocre small business into one of the top companies in the country, but we have also invested in dozens of different companies, each of which is highly profitable."

"The Xinyuan vaccine we are currently receiving is also from a company under Siqi's name!"

"A single product from any random company can generate billions in net profit annually... What kind of legend is that? You wouldn't even dare to make up a story like that!"

"This is beyond the realm of Midas touch; this is the work of a business god!"

"I used to call the richest man 'Mom' and 'Papa Ma,' but now that I'm suddenly facing a tycoon who's even younger than me, I just can't bring myself to call him 'Dad'..."

"Don't even mention Dad. Our richest man's biological father is probably the one who regrets it the most right now!"

Unlike the illegitimate children or mistresses around Si's father, netizens wouldn't say nice things to him. Nor would they be like his acquaintances, who would use tactful language to save him face.

They dared to say anything bluntly: "The reason why Si's Entertainment has fallen into such a state is because Si Qi left Si's back then, and that's when things started to get worse."

"The reason Si Qi left the Si family was because his father had a bunch of illegitimate children and arranged for them to work in the company. His mother divorced his father because of this, and Si Qi didn't care about the huge Si family entertainment business at all. He followed his mother without hesitation."

"Perhaps this is the source of the boss's confidence. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't have the courage to give up such a large family business and take over their mother's small company in this situation."

"His father must be regretting it to death now. He lost the son of the richest man in the country and brought back a bunch of illegitimate children who only know how to squander money."

Netizens not only mocked Si's father, but also dragged Zhou Wu, who had long disappeared from the entertainment industry, into the spotlight.

"Do you remember Zhou Wu, who was once very popular? He was someone Si Qi promoted after joining the Si Corporation. Later, his reputation suddenly turned sour, and he became one of the fastest-rising and fastest-falling stars in the entertainment industry, all because Si Qi left the company at that time and stopped caring about him."

"It seems this big shot's cross-industry business acumen is truly impressive! Whether it's the cultural industry like the entertainment industry, the physical industry like Heng Hui, or the biotechnology and technology industry like Xinyuan Bio and Wanfang Technology, he can handle them all."

"That's strange. I heard that Zhou Wu and the former president of Si's Group were childhood friends who grew up together and had a very good relationship? Since Si Qi is so powerful, even if he only slipped a little benefit through his fingers, it would be enough for Zhou Wu to live a life of ease, right?"

"It is reasonable to suspect that Zhou Wu, like Si Qi's father, did something to anger Si Qi, otherwise how could he have ended up in the same situation as Si Qi's father?"

Because of the incident where the illegitimate child maliciously smeared Heng Hui, which attracted huge attention online, netizens knew a lot about Heng Hui's affairs. They also knew very well that Si Qi, who took over Heng Hui, was like his mother, and his biggest hobby was doing charity. The money he donated every year was enough to make a hundred Zhou Wu famous.

On one side is a business tycoon known for his reliable product quality and years of dedication to charity; on the other side is Zhou Wu, whose "rich young master" persona has crumbled and who has a lot of negative press in the industry. It's obvious which side everyone is on.

"Zhou Wu is strange this week. If he had just stayed with Boss Si and hadn't switched jobs to start his own studio, he would at least be maintaining his top-tier status now, or at the very least, he would have already made it internationally! He just couldn't see the point of all this trouble."

"You guys don't know this? Back then, Zhou Wu and his girlfriend's affair caused quite a stir! They even dragged Boss Si into it."

When Zhou Wu's girlfriend is mentioned, netizens are wide awake, reminiscing about the days when they were frantically following the gossip.

At that time, Zhou Wu had only recently left Si's company, and other artists, envious of the opportunities he held, swarmed in to grab a share of the resources he had secured. He had no chance to get his hands on anything—famous variety shows, top luxury brand endorsements, or scripts by renowned directors. His top-tier status was teetering, and he was ridiculed by many other artists' fans for being unworthy of his position.

Later, due to poor resources, he took on a low-quality variety show, which aroused suspicion. Soon, media outlets exposed that Zhou Wu's "rich and noble" persona was fabricated. Immediately, he was ridiculed by the public, and many directors subconsciously avoided casting him. As a result, Zhou Wu, who was in the early stages of his career and desperately needed to prove himself, was out of the public eye for a long time, and his status in the industry plummeted.

Of course, even so, a fallen camel is still bigger than a horse. Zhou Wu, who was once very popular, is still very valuable. As long as he is willing to humble himself and work hard to build his business, he may not be able to reach top-notch resources, but he can definitely find a reliable job.

Unfortunately, by sheer coincidence, the trashy variety show that exposed Zhou Wu's true identity as a rich young master became a hit.

Although the poverty level of this variety show is obvious, the novel and interesting program content is full of laughs, and a group of guests with excellent variety show effects appear. The audience has discovered this treasure, so why not share it with their friends?

Through this sharing, they saw a stark contrast between Zhou Wu, who had a sour face and treated the production crew with disdain, and the group of down-to-earth, funny, and interesting celebrities next to him.

The more netizens liked the celebrities, including Bai Qian, the less they liked Zhou Wu, who seemed arrogant and felt the production team had wronged him. Zhou Wu's elegant and refined demeanor, which was so beloved by his fans, became ironclad evidence of his incompatibility and diva-like behavior in this rural variety show.

Comments like "He has the airs of a prince but not the life of one" and "He can't even lift 20 pounds of rice; he's just a pretty face with no substance" kept popping up, dealing another huge blow to Zhou Wu, who was already in a career slump at the time. This made Zhou Wu, whose popularity with the audience was already precarious, even more unpopular.

Ironically, Bai Qian, who is witty, intelligent, and capable of easily solving any problem, becomes extremely close to Zhou Wu on the show. This relationship, which would have been wildly popular with viewers in the original timeline, is now seen as a rare flaw in Bai Qian by those who like her. Fans are taking to the internet to urge Bai Qian to stay away from Zhou Wu and to stop using such a wonderful woman for publicity.

Zhou Wu's fans, who refused to leave even after his career collapsed, couldn't stand such words. They immediately started arguing with Bai Qian's fans, saying things like, "When my brother was a star in the entertainment industry, your master was still playing minor roles somewhere," and "Don't try to associate yourself with my brother, you little nobody. I can see your vixen-like face through the screen." The intensity of their words was as if the two sides had some kind of blood feud.

Amidst this chaos, an employee of Si's suddenly came forward and revealed that Zhou Wu and Bai Qian were actually a couple. To be together, they drove away Zhou Wu's top agent, who had been managing him for over a year, and resolutely terminated their contract with Si's to start their own independent studio, all so they could date freely.

When the news broke, fans on both sides were stunned. They didn't want to admit it, finding it ridiculous. But all the evidence against Zhou Wu, who had been flaunting his relationship with Bai Qian everywhere while still at Si's company, and whose manager and Si Qi had been suppressing it, was now being exposed. Photos and videos of Zhou Wu and Bai Qian frequently entering and leaving the same studio and living in the same building over the past few months were also published by the media.

The evidence is irrefutable, leaving no room for doubt. Fans have to face reality: these two have been secretly having an affair right under their noses for so long without their knowledge. They've been so foolish as to genuinely fight with the other side's fans for their idol's sake.

Fans on both sides, realizing they had been completely fooled, angrily questioned Zhou Wu and his associates.

"When we were arguing with people because of you, you just pretended to be dead! You watched us tear each other apart without saying a word!"

"Don't you know why I'm a fan? It's one thing if your image collapses, but at least you still have a face and some charm that I like, and I'm happy to spend money on you! But what did you do? You found me a sister-in-law so early on, and all the money I worked so hard to earn was used to support your woman! Don't you have any conscience at all?"

"My career-oriented fans are truly devastated. We thought that since you could become a top star so quickly, you would also be able to climb back up after falling into a slump and return to the top. But you've pulled this stunt. Do you even want to stay in this industry? If you don't, just leave the entertainment industry already. Can't you stop torturing people like this?"

"I'm speechless. I thought she was an independent and clear-headed young lady, and I've been a loyal fan of hers for so long. I was worried she'd get into trouble because of her connection with Zhou Wu, and that she'd get into a fight with Zhou Wu's fans over her sake. But look at her! She was dating a top idol back then, and he was so infatuated with her that he gave up his promising career and left the company for her. She even made him participate in this variety show with her, which led to his past being exposed. And because of the relationship, he lost all his remaining fans, all without saying a word or offering any explanation. With this kind of ability, she's not the innocent girl I need to worry about; she's clearly a black-hearted woman that even a top idol couldn't handle! Anyone with a conscience wouldn't just stand by and watch us argue for her, and wouldn't let her boyfriend, who sacrificed so much for her, be attacked by a bunch of people!"

"Thinking about it this way, Zhou Wu really was dragged down to death by Bai Qian. If it weren't for Bai Qian, he would still be doing well as the top guy at Si's Corporation, being mentored by a top agent."

Fans on both sides were already arguing fiercely about Bai Qian and Zhou Wu's relationship. Now that their relationship has been exposed, the fans feel they have been fooled and are even less supportive of the two's romance.

This time, however, they didn't say "Don't try to scam me." Instead, their attitude changed abruptly, and they unanimously declared, "Scumbags are a match made in heaven," and "Get them locked up right now."

Bai Qian, who had finally gained fame in the industry and hadn't even had a chance to enjoy it, was now being unfairly criticized because of Zhou Wu: "…………"

Seeing his fans arguing about wanting to go public with their relationship, and then being brainwashed by their comments after being forced to do so, Zhou Wu felt like he was being dragged down by Bai Qian: "…………"

What do you mean by "locked up"? Before, when no one knew about their relationship, they couldn't wait to be locked up. Now that their relationship has been exposed, their careers have plummeted, and they both feel that the reason they are like this is entirely the other person's fault. They start arguing after only a few words when they meet, and they have no interest in talking about love.

Especially Zhou Wu, ever since Bai Qian pointed out that "Si Qi had a crush on him for many years, but he only gave up completely and broke up with him after he fell in love with someone else", he felt a little resentful towards Bai Qian. He felt that if it weren't for Bai Qian, he would definitely still be cherished by Si Qi, with all the good things being sent to him first and left for him to choose from.

Now, after being analyzed by his fans, Zhou Wu realized that his current predicament was all because of Bai Qian. If it weren't for Bai Qian, he wouldn't have left Si's Group, wouldn't have lacked the best agent and resources, wouldn't have been powerless to clarify the scandals, and wouldn't have participated in that variety show where his persona was exposed, where he threw a tantrum at the production team, thus triggering a series of problems that led to even his last remaining fans leaving.

He seriously doubted whether he and Bai Qian were born to be incompatible, otherwise why would he have become so unlucky after meeting Bai Qian?

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Author's Note: Based on the comments and likes for Chapters 1 and 27, the title and synopsis have been finalized. The synopsis remains the same, but the title has changed to "You Call This Cannon Fodder? [Quick Transmigration]". The cover will be changed in the next couple of days; only the text will be updated, the emojis and background image will remain the same. [Heart]